I 


Second  Edition. 

For  private  use  only 


MEMORANDA 


ON 

Requirements  for  admission  to  the  staff  and  advancement 
from  grade  to  grade  in  the 

CIRCULATING  DEPARTMENT 

OF  THE 

NEW  YORK  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


Compiled  by 
ELIZABETH  L.  FOOTE 

f 

Instructor  in  the  Circulating  Department 


OCTOBER,  1905 


0  2.^5 


CONTENTS. 


Requirements  for  entrance  to  Training  Class 

Preliminary  remarks  to  assistants . 

Literature : 

Requirements  for  Classes  D,  C,  B,  A 
Reading  lists  for  study  of  literature. . 
General  information  for  Classes  D  and  C: 

Explanatory  notes . . . 

Reading  list  for  information . 

“  “  “  general  culture  .... 

k  Library  economy: 

Requirements  for  Classes  D,  C,  B,  A 
Reading  list  and  references  for  study 
^  Languages  for  Classes  C  and  B . 


P 


15996 


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FOR  ENTRANCE. 

See  “Rules  governing  the  Training  Class.” 

The  subjects  specified  may  include  the  following: 

Arithmetic :  The  examination  is  a  three-fold  test,  namely:  (i) 
of  accuracy;  (2)  of  knowledge  of  fundamental  operations  in 
common  use;  (3)  of  reasoning  power. 

English  includes  spelling,  punctuation,  grammatical  and  rhe¬ 
torical  construction,  with  sense  of  form  in  arranging  and  handling 
subject  matter. 

History  includes  specially  Greek  and  Roman,  English  and 
American  with  such  topics  in  the  history  of  other  countries  as 
are  generally  well  known,  specially  those  of  modern  Europe.  Cur¬ 
rent  history  is  included  in  General  information. 

Literature:  The  world’s  greatest  writers  and  books  in  any 
language;  also  brief  history  of  English  and  American  literature, 
as  a  chronological  outline  with  names  of  greatest  writers  and 
their  works ;  also  a  personal  acquaintance  with  some  of  the  writ¬ 
ings  of  standard  authors. 

General  information  includes  such  knowledge  of  natural  sci¬ 
ences,  geography,  civil  government,  etc.,  as  is  given  in  the  public 
schools  to-day ;  also  such  knowledge  of  popular  customs,  current 
history,  and  other  topics  of  the  day  as  comes  from  a  regular  in¬ 
telligent  reading  of  newspapers  and  magazines.  Exhaustive 
knowledge  is  not  required  of  any  topic,  but  the  meaning  of  or¬ 
dinary  terms  in  common  use  may  be  asked ;  e  g,  in  insurance,  the 
woman  question,  civil  and  criminal  law,  etc. 

For  reviewing  some  of  the  above,  the  following  are  suggested : 

Collier.  Great  events  ot  history. 

Creasy.  Fifteen  decisive  battles  of  the  world. 

Brooks.  Story  of  the  19th  century. 

Warner.  Library  of  the  world’s  best  literature.  Last  two 
volumes. 

Ryland.  Chronological  outlines  of  English  literature. 

Whitcomb.  Chronological  outlines  of  American  literature. 

Baldwin.  The  book  lover. 

Koopman.  The  mastery  of  books. 

Magazines  suggested :  Outlook,  Independent,  World’s  work, 
Chautauquan. 


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PRELIMINARY  REMARKS  TO  ASSISTANTS. 

The  following  notes  and  lists  of  books  have  been  prepared  in 
response  to  questions  as  to  how  much  knowledge  is  expected  of 
assistants  before  promotion  to  the  various  classes.  Many  useful 
and  readable  books  are  omitted  simply  for  brevity.  On  the  other 
hand,  brief  as  the  lists  are,  they  are  necessarily  broader  than  one 
individual’s  possibilities  of  reading  within  the  years  which  they 
cover.  The  fact  that  they  are  merely  suggestive  is  therefore  em¬ 
phasized,  and  each  one  is  advised  to  make  her  own  list,  using 
these  as  a  guide  and  adding  new  publications  occasionally  to  keep 
it  up  to  date.  Also  use  for  frequent  reference  and  guidance 
Koopman’s  Mastery  of  books,  and  Baldwin’s  Book  lover.  In  the 
latter,  courses  of  study  in  literature  are  particularly  well  outlined. 
With  these  as  guides,  the  following  hints  may  be  found  sufficient. 
If  in  any  case,  they  are  not,  the  instructor  will  be  glad  to  give 
personal  advice  as  far  as  possible.  As  each  book  is  read  the  title 
should  be  checked  and  transferred  to  a  list  of  “Books  I  have 
read.”  It  would  be  a  mistake  to  make  the  original  list  too  long. 
(Read  Miss  Plummer’s  article  on  “A  librarian’s  personal  read¬ 
ing”  in  the  Library  journal,  January,  1903.) 

The  suggestions  in  the  following  pages  are  grouped  as  they 
apply  to  the  subjects  under  discussion,  and  the  books  named  are 
mainly  intended  to  be  sources  of  information.  Descriptive  or 
critical  notes  have  been  omitted,  since  in  most  cases  they  may  be 
found  in  the  A.  L.  A.  catalog.  Sometimes  two  or  three  books 
will  cover  the  same  subject  or  overlap  each  other.  Choice  may 
be  made  among  them,  or  parts  of  several  might  be  read.  It  is 
well  to  get  some  idea  of  more  than  one  writer’s  presentation  of  a 
subject,  particularly  in  literary  criticism,  even  though  not  all  of 
the  book  may  be  carefully  read.  Especially  in  volumes  of  essays 
is  selection  possible. 

LITERATURE. 

The  outline  study  of  English  and  American  authors  is  required 
for  entrance,  as  also  a  knowledge  of  the  world’s  greatest  books. 
In  addition  to  these,  for  Class  D  there  should  be  more  detailed 
knowledge  of  some  works,  more  titles,  more  personal  reading  of 
the  best  writings,  more  of  children’s  books,  modern  and  current 


. 


6 


literature,  and  to  some  extent  the  literature  of  subjects;  also 
magazine  literature  and  reviews. 

For  Class  C  the  requirements  do  not  go  beyond  the  limits  of 
English  and  American  authors.  The  knowledge  of  literature  in 
the  English  language  should  by  this  time  be  more  thorough  and 
critical  than  it  has  been  before.  Here  may  begin  the  study  of 
forms  by  some  attention  to  that  most  widely  read  of  all  forms  of 
writing,  fiction.  More  individual  reading  of  the  best  authors  may 
be  expected,  wider  knowledge  of  the  literature  of  subjects,  the 
comparative  value  of  literary  reviews  and  magazines  and,  to  some 
extent,  that  of  authors  in  the  same  field. 

For  Class  B  the  advance  in  literary  study  includes  a  syste¬ 
matic  survey  of  foreign  authors,  a  continuation  of  the  study  of 
forms,  some  attention  to  the  literature  of  the  19th  century,  and 
a  critical  knowledge  of  the  distinctive  value  of  magazines  and 
reviews  as  aids  to  book  selection. 

For  Class  A  the  reading  will  vary  more  widely.  The  lines  en¬ 
tered  upon  in  the  preceding  years  will  suggest  their  own  succes¬ 
sion,  but  special  attention  might  well  be  paid  to  the  literature  of 
periods  as  well  as  to  other  forms ;  and  the  critical  essays  of  many 
of  the  best  writers  are  useful.  A  knowledge  of  literature  which 
will  cultivate  excellence  of  literary  judgment  is  very  practical, 
and  is  of  course  acquired  by  much  reading  of  the  best.  It  should 
also  be  borne  in  mind  that  a  first  assistant  or  librarian  in  charge 
of  a  branch  should  love  books  for  themselves  and  desire  to  make 
the  best  of  them  a  part  of  her  education. 

READING  LISTS;  Literature. 

FOR  CLASS  D. 

For  reference  and  leisure  moments: 

Warner.  Library  of  the  world’s  best  literature  and  simi¬ 
lar  collections ;  see  specially  last  two  volumes 
of  the  Warner. 

For  systematic  study: 

Lawton.  Introduction  to  the  study  of  American  literature. 

Pancoast.  Introduction  to  American  literature. 

Brooke.  Primer  of  English  literature. 

Scudder.  Introduction  to  the  study  of  English  literature. 

Burt.  Literary  landmarks  for  young  people. 

Koopman.  The  mastery  of  books. 


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FOR  CLASS  C. 

Brooke.  English  literature. 

Moody  and  Lovett.  History  of  English  literature. 
Mitchell.  English  lands,  letters  and  kings. 

Higginson  &  Boynton.  Reader’s  history  of  American  lit¬ 
erature. 

Richardson.  American  literature  1607 — 1885. 

Bates.  American  literature. 

Mitchell.  American  lands  and  letters. 

Howells.  Heroines  of  fiction ;  one  essay  at  a  time  and 
then  the  novel  referred  to,  with  perhaps  some 
exceptions. 

Cross.  Development  of  the  English  novel. 

FOR  CLASS  B. 

# 

Botta.  Handbook  of  universal  literature. 

Note  specially  chapters  on  literatures  not  covered  separately 
in  following  titles. 

Encyclopaedia  Britannica.  Articles  on  German,  Italian  and 
Erencli  literature  are  strongly  recommended. 

Moore.  History  of  German  literature. 

Garnett.  History  of  Italian  literature.  (Short  histories  of 
the  world’s  literatures.) 

Waliszewski.  History  of  Russian  literature.  (Short  his¬ 
tories  of  the  world’s  literatures.) 

Kelly.  History  of  Spanish  literature.  (Short  histories  of 
the  world’s  literatures.) 

Dowden.  History  of  French  literature.  (Short  histories 
of  the  world’s  literatures.) 

Saintsbury.  Primer  of  French  literature. 

Oliphant.  Victorian  age  of  English  literature. 

Hazlitt.  Lectures  on  the  English  poets. 

Howells.  Literary  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Perry.  Study  of  prose  fiction. 

Stoddard.  Evolution  of  the  English  novel. 

Matthews.  (Various  of  his  essays  on  fiction.) 

FOR  CLASS  A. 


Bates.  English  religious  drama. 


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Beers.  History  of  English  romanticism  in  the  18th  cen¬ 
tury. 

Beers.  History  of  English  romanticism  in  the  19th  cen¬ 
tury. 

Boyesen.  Essays  on  German  literature. 

Brunetiere.  Essays  in  French  literature;  a  selection  tr.  by 
D.  N.  Smith. 

Corson.  Introduction  to  Browning’s  poetry. 

Corson.  Aims  of  literary  study.  . 

Carlyle.  Essays  on  Burns,  Goethe,  Richter,  Etc. 

Dobson.  Vignettes  of  the  18th  century. 

Forsyth.  Novels  and  novelists  of  the  18th  century. 

Masson.  British  novelists  and  their  styles. 

Lee.  Life  of  Shakespeare. 

Lowell.  My  study  windows. 

Moulton.  Shakespeare  as  a  dramatic  artist. 

Robertson.  History  of  German  literature. 

Saintsbury.  History  of  Elizabethan  literature. 

Stedman.  Victorian  poets. 

Stephen.  Hours  in  a  library. 

Van  Dyke.  Poetry  of  Tennyson. 

In  The  Dial  there  is  annually,  about  November,  an  article  on 
continental  literature. 

“GENERAL  INFORMATION”  FOR  CLASSES  D  AND  C. 

EXPLANATORY  NOTES. 

No  line  between  grades :  It  is  impossible  to  draw  a  dis¬ 

tinct  line  between  the  two  grades  in  this  subject,  which 
is  broad  and  more  or  less  indefinite.  The  difference  be- 
tween  the  general  education  of  a  library  assistant  who  has 
been  one  year  in  library  work  and  another  who  has  been  two 
or  three,  may  and  often  does  lie  in  the  former’s  favor.  Some  edu¬ 
cation  is  expected  of  our  entering  classes,  but  certainly  not  all 
that  a  library  assistant  needs,  nor  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  the 
knowledge  required  for  passing  into  Class  D  is  only  such  as  will 
be  obtained  from  general  reading  subsequent  to  entrance.  It  may 
rather  be  regarded  that  the  test  in  general  information  for  ad¬ 
mission  to  the  library  force  is  thus  divided  into  two  parts.  We 
wish  all  our  assistants  to  be  well  read  on  subjects  of  general  inter¬ 
est  and  we  desire  to  test  their  progress  from  time  to  time  not  in 
new  subjects  added  to  their  repertoire,  as  it  were,  but  in  the  in- 


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creasing  breadth  of  their  knowledge  in  various  lines  and  the  wid¬ 
ening  of  their  intellectual  interests.  The  education  in  literature 
and  general  information  required  for  Class  C  is  theoretically  three 
years  in  advance  of  that  for  D  as  three  years  of  library  experi¬ 
ence  are  supposed  to  lie  between  the  grades,  but  it  is  the  ex¬ 
tent  of  the  fund  of  information  that  is  tested  and  therefore,  since 
examination  questions  for  the  same  grade  vary  from  year  to 
year,  the  same  questions  asked  for  D  may  form  a  part  of  those 
asked  for  C.  Hence  the  impossibility  of  drawing  a  distinct  line 
between  the  two. 

Scope  of  general  information.  The  topics  in  the  news¬ 
papers,  magazines  and  books  of  the  day  will  roughly  indicate  the 
subjects  of  general  interest  on  which  we  all  are  expected  to  be 
informed.  The  meaning  of  words  and  ideas  suggested  in  book 
titles  or  in  the  classification  of  popular  subjects  is  specially  im¬ 
portant.  General  information  will  also  include  some  facts  in  re¬ 
ligion,  sociology,  etc.,  which  are  of  general  interest;  natural  sci¬ 
ences  taught  in  the  public  schools,  namely,  the  elements  of  as¬ 
tronomy,  physics,  chemistry,  mineralogy,  geology,  etc. ;  the  his¬ 
tory  of  fine  arts ;  geography ;  customs ;  useful  arts  most  commonly 
known ;  current  events  in  politics,  music,  art,  the  drama,  science 
and  education ;  and  great  names  in  any  line.  Such  knowledge  is 
not  acquired  by  any  brief  course  of  definite  study,  but  rather  by 
constant  and  intelligent  reading.  The  ideal  test  should  be  un¬ 
expected,  but  never  find  one  unprepared.  The  desirable  faculty 
to  cultivate  is  a  mental  alertness,  a  power  of  keen,  quick  obser¬ 
vation  which  instantly  grasps  the  meaning  of  things  and  recog¬ 
nizes  relationships.  Then  if  thought  and  conversation  habitually 
run  along  these  lines  impressions  take  definite  form  and  perma¬ 
nence  in  the  mind. 

But  as  suggestions  for  “catching  up”  in  a  few  subjects,  two 
reading  lists  are  here  given:  The  first,  including  many  juvenile 
books,  is  an  attempt  to  suggest  sources  of  information  in  con¬ 
densed  and  simple  form ;  the  second  is  recommended  for  general 
reading.  In  the  preparation  of  this  second  list,  the  aim  has  been 
to  include  only  books  which  are  decidedly  worth  reading  aside 
from  the  information  contained — an  attempted  combination  of  the 
literature  of  power  and  of  information  in  the  same  volumes.  As¬ 
sistants  will  be  requested  to  report  progress  occasionally  in  their 
reading  from  this  list. 


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READING  LISTS:  General  Information^ 

“Mark  there.  We  get  no  good 
By  being  ungenerous,  even  to  a  book, 

And  calculating  profits — so  much  help 
By  so  much  reading.  It  is  rather  when 
We  gloriously  forget  ourselves  and  plunge 
Soul-forward,  headlong,  into  a  book’s  profound, 
Impassioned  for  its  beauty  and  salt  of  truth — 

’Tis  then  we  get  the  right  good  from  a  book.” 

Euzabeth  Barrett  Browning. 

first  list  :  for  general  information. 

Philosophy,  religion  and  mythology. 

Ladd.  Primer  of  psychology. 

Bible.  Modern  readers’  Bible.  (Stories  from  Old  and 
New  Testament.) 

Chenoweth.  Stories  of  the  saints. 

Gayley.  Classic  myths  in  English  literature. 

Guerber.  Myths  of  northern  lands. 

Sociological  topics. 

Blackmar.  Elements  of  sociology. 

Henderson.  Social  spirit  in  America. 

Field.  N.  Y.  political  primer. 

Fiske.  Civil  government  in  the  U.  S. 

Hoxie.  Civil  government. 

Lloyd.  Newest  England  or  Country  without  strikes. 
Hancock.  Life  at  West  Point. 

Walker.  First  lessons  in  political  economy. 

Riis.  Battle  with  the  slum  ( or  any  of  his  similar  books.) 

Legend  and  folk  lore. 

Brooks.  Story  of  King  Arthur. 

Lang.  Arabian  nights. 

Sciences, 

Buckley.  Short  history  of  natural  science. 

Darwin.  What  Mr.  Darwin  saw  in  his  voyage  around 
the  world. 

Holden.  The  sciences. 


Snyder.  New  conceptions  in  science. 

Tait.  Recent  advances  in  physical  science. 

Wallace  and  others.  Progress  of  the  century. 
Williams.  Story  of  19th  century  science. 

Allen.  Story  of  the  plants. 

Ballard.  Among  the  moths  and  butterflies. 

Bayne.  Pith  of  astronomy. 

Beard.  Curious  homes  and  their  tenants. 

Conn.  Story  of  the  living  machine. 

Dana.  Geological  story  briefly  told. 

Gaye.  Great  world’s  farm. 

Miller.  First  book  of  birds. 

V 

Useful  arts. 

Baker.  Boy’s  book  of  inventions. 

Baker.  Second  book  of  inventions. 

Byrn.  Progress  of  invention. 

Child.  How  and  why  of  electricity. 

Huxley.  Lessons  in  elementary  physiology. 

Mowry.  American  inventions  and  inventors. 

Fine  arts. 

Bolton.  Famous  European  artists. 

Caffm.  How  to  study  pictures. 

Clement.  Stories  of  art  and  artists. 

Goodyear.  History  of  art. 

Hoyt.  World’s  painters. 

Guerber.  Stories  of  Wagner  operas. 

Hamlin.  Text  book  of  history  of  architecture. 
Reinach.  Story  of  art. 

Singleton.  Great  pictures  described  by  great  writers. 
Smith,  Hannah.  Music  and  how  it  came  to  be  what  it 

Some  Classics  in  Literature. 

Brooks.  Story  of  the  Aeneid,  Iliad,  Odyssey. 

Wilson.  Story  of  the  Cid. 

Baldwin.  Fifty  famous  stories  retold. 

Bunyan.  Pilgrim’s  progress. 


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History. 


Andrews.  History  of  the  last  25  years  in  America. 
Botsford.  Ancient  history  for  beginners. 

Creasy.  Fifteen  decisive  battles  of  the  world. 

Johonnot.  Ten  great  events  in  history. 

Andrews.  Ten  boys  who  lived  on  the  road  from  long  ago 
to  now. 

A  series  published  by  American  Book  Co.  is  recommended  by  a 
teacher.  It  includes  “Essentials”  in  Ancient,  Mediaeval  and  Modern, 
English  and  American  history. 

Geography  and  Travel. 

Bolton.  Famous  voyagers  and  explorers. 

Any  good  school  text-book  for  study  and  constant  reference; 
for  example,  Tarr  and  McMurry.  Home  geography  and  the 
world  in  general. 

Collective  biographies. 

The  following  are  sources  of  information  for  certain  names. 
In  using  them,  look  over  the  table  of  contents  and  when  there  is 
an  unfamiliar  name,  or  one  of  which  you  can  tell  very  little,  read 
the  sketch  or  at  least  part  of  it. 

Brooks.  Century  books  for  young  Americans. 

Bolton.  Poor  boys  who  became  famous. 

Bolton.  Lives  of  girls  who  became  famous. 

Bolton.  Successful  women. 

Bolton.  Famous  leaders  among  women. 

Bolton.  Famous  givers  and  their  gifts. 

Mitchell.  About  old  story-tellers. 

second  list:  for  general  culture. 

Philosophy. 

James.  Talks  to  teachers  on  psychology. 

Black.  Friendship. 

Religion. 

Clarke.  Ten  great  religions. 

Fiske.  Destiny  of  man  or  Through  nature  to  God. 
Gladden.  Who  wrote  the  Bible. 


13 


Newman.  Apologia  pro  vita  sua. 

Thomas  a  Kempis.  Imitation  of  Christ. 

Sociology. 

Avebury.  Use  of  life. 

Bryce.  American  commonwealth. 

Ruskin.  Unto  this  last  or  Munera  pulveris. 
Smith,  G.  Essays  on  questions  of  the  day. 
Wilson.  The  State. 

Wyckoff.  The  workers. 

Natural  Science. 

Darwin.  Origin  of  species. 

Drummond.  Ascent  of  man. 

Newcomb.  Astronomy  for  everybody. 
Tyndall.  On  light  or  Fragments  of  science. 
Wallace.  Man’s  place  in  the  universe. 

See  also  Essays. 

Fine  arts. 


Fay.  Music  study. 

Gilman.  Phases  of  modern  music. 

Plenderson.  Story  of  music. 

La  Farge.  An  artist’s  letters  from  Japan. 

Ruskin.  Modern  painters. 

See  also  Biography. 

Poetry. 

Browning.  (Selections.) 

Dante.  Divine  comedy;  tr  by  Norton,  or  Longfellow. 
Lowell.  Fable  for  critics. 

Palgrave.  Golden  treasury.  Ser.  i — 2. 

Knowles.  Golden  treasury  of  American  poetry. 

Essays. 

Arnold.  Literature  and  dogma. 

Birrell.  Essays  and  Obiter  dicta. 


M 

Chesterfield,  or  Lady  Montagu.  Letters. 
Curtis.  Literary  and  social  essays. 

Emerson.  Lectures  and  biographical  studies. 
Emerson.  Representative  men. 

Fiske.  Century  of  science  and  other  essays. 
Lowell.  Cambridge  30  years  ago. 

Pater.  Greek  studies. 

Ruskin.  Queen  of  the  air. 

Stevenson.  Memories  and  portraits. 


Biography. 

Hale.  New  England  boyhood. 

Boswell.  Life  of  Johnson,  (in  part.) 

Irving.  Mahomet  and  his  successors. 

Nicolay.  Lincoln. 

(Not  Nicolay  &  Hay,  but  one  vol.  work.) 
Sainte-Beuvre.  Portraits  of  the  17  century;  tr.  by 

K.  P.  Wormeley. 

Tennyson.  Memoir  by  his  son. 

Henderson.  Life  of  Wagner. 

Waddington.  Letters  of  a  diplomat’s  wife. 

History  and  Description. 

Okakura-kakuzo.  Awakening  of  Japan. 

Griffis.  Religions  of  Japan. 

Norman.  All  the  Russias. 

Wallace.  Russia. 

Winter.  Gray  days  and  gold. 

Howells.  Italian  journeys. 

Hutton.  Literary  landmarks. 

Amicis.  Holland  or  Constantinople  or  Spain 
Oliphant.  Makers  of  Florence,  Edinburgh. 

Warner,  C.  D.  (One  of  his  books  of  travel.) 

Parkman.  Oregon  trail. 

Latimer.  (19th  century  histories.) 

Smith.  Gondola  days. 

Kipling.  Kim. 


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LIBRARY  ECONOMY. 

The  following  is  a  condensed  statement  of  subjects  in  library 
economy  which  should  belong  to  the  technical  equipment  of  as¬ 
sistants  in  the  grades  indicated. 

FOR  CLASS  D. 

Reference  books  and  work  :  elementary  knowledge ;  pages 
80-82  in  Kroeger’s  Guide,  with  description  and  use  of  books  men¬ 
tioned  ;  some  reading  lists  and  indexes  including  those  on  pages 
75-76  of  Kroeger,  and  the  most  used  fiction  and  children’s  lists, 
the  Poole  set  and  A.  L.  A.  indexes,  Reader’s  guide  to  periodi¬ 
cals,  A.  L.  A.  catalog  and  Sonnenschein’s  Best  books ;  principles 
of  helping  readers. 

Card  catalog :  what  it  is  and  how  to  use  it ;  forms  of  arrange¬ 
ment  ;  classed,  dictionary,  etc. ;  familiarity  with  principal  forms 
of  entries,  as:  main,  added,  author,  subject,  title,  series,  etc.;  ref¬ 
erences,  “see  and  see  also,”  name  and  subject;  headings;  defiini- 
tions ;  simple  alphabetical  arrangement. 

Desk  work :  book  cards,  charging,  filing  cards,  applications, 
deposits,  fines,  reserves,  overdues,  etc.,  with  actual  practice  in  the 
N.  Y.  P.  L. ;  Board  of  health  notices ;  elementary  statistics ;  count¬ 
ing  and  making  daily  memoranda ;  regulations  for  readers. 

Shelf  arrangement :  what  a  shelf  list  is,  classification  sys¬ 
tems,  fixed  and  relative  location,  book  numbers,  mechanical  treat¬ 
ment  of  books  including  preparation  for  the  shelves,  mending, 
binding,  covering  and  lettering. 

Library  literature  and  information  :  ordinary  terms,  defini¬ 
tions  and  abbreviations,  such  as  A.  L.  A.,  L.  B.,  N.  Y.  L.  A.,  N. 
Y.  L.  C.,  L.  j.,  P.  1.  Names  of  largest  and  most  important  li¬ 
braries  in  the  world,  and  in  N.  Y.  City.  Identity  of  some  promi¬ 
nent  library  workers. 

FOR  CLASS  C. 

Reference  work  and  books :  All  the  most  useful  books  men¬ 
tioned  in  Kroeger’s  Guide,  specially  those  in  English  and  also  all 
the  most  useful  reading  lists ;  periodical  and  other  indexes  as  for 
D ;  use  of  analytical  in  the  catalogue ;  use  of  card  catalogue  in¬ 
cluding  thorough  knowledge  of  forms  of  entry,  subject  headings 
and  references,  alphabetical  arrangement. 


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Use  of  shelf  list  as  a  classed  catalogue;  inventory  work  un¬ 
der  direction. 

Accession  book :  what  it  is  and  what  it  contains ;  how  to  use  it. 

Library  literature  and  information :  Same  as  for  D  but  more 
extended  and  including  library  organization  in  New  York  State. 

Optional :  Specialization  in  children’s  work  or  in  work  with 
schools.  Opportunity  for  specialization  and  thorough  knowledge 
required. 

FOR  CLASS  B. 

Statistics  :  complete  daily  records,  monthly  reports,  etc. 

Reference  work :  advanced,  including  special  memoranda  in 
the  card  catalogue;  bibliography,  names  of  some  of  the  greatest 
bibliographies;  bibliographical  department  in  the  Library  jour¬ 
nal;  special  subject  bibliography;  special  resources  of  Astor  and 
Lenox  branches  and  other  special  collections  in  New  York  City; 
Manual  of  the  New  York  libraries. 

Cataloguing  :  Classification,  entries  in  catalogue,  actual  work ; 
indexing ;  accession  book :  uses,  why,  when,  etc. 

Shelf  department :  shelf  list,  forms,  uses ;  book  numbers ;  in¬ 
ventory;  binding  routine. 

Circulation:  registration;  recovery  of  lost  books;  other 
problems. 

Library  literature  and  information  :  Periodicals  ai  d  books 
published  in  the  United  States  and  in  Great  Britain.  Public  li¬ 
braries  in  Greater  New  York. 

For  specialists  in  children’s  work  and  in  school  work:  His¬ 
tory  of  growth  and  methods  in  those  lines;  originality;  reading 
lists;  literature  of  the  subject;  names  of  specialists  and  libraries. 

FOR  CLASS  A. 

Administration  : 

Building :  plans,  furnishings,  supplies ;  special  written  reports  ; 
selection  of  staff,  hours,  schedule,  janitor,  etc. 

Selection  of  books,  trade  bibliography,  book  lists  and  re¬ 
views,  order  routine. 


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Reading  lists  and  bulletins ;  methods  of  co-operation  with 
schools. 

Registration,  forms,  guarantors,  etc. 

History  of  libraries  in  U.  S.  Events  of  specified  years,  such 
as  1853,  etc.  Modern  movement;  names  of  persons  and 

their  work ;  names  of  libraries ;  associations  and  co-operative 
work ;  state  organization ;  library  institutes. 

Library  rules. 

Cataloguing :  Classification,  analyzing  and  indexing.  Sub¬ 
jects,  headings  and  references. 

Reference  books  :  Fairly  complete  knowledge. 

SOURCES  OF  INFORMATION  ON  LIBRARY  SUBJECTS. 

The  subject  is  not  to  be  studied  as  is  a  branch  of  mathematics 
or  of  science  from  concise  and  comprehensive  textbooks.  Knowl¬ 
edge  of  what  others  have  thought  and  done  must  be  gleaned  from 
the  fast  increasing  mass  of  literature  by  means  of  lists  and  in¬ 
dexes.  Each  student  should  reason  for  herself  about  what  she 
reads,  see  where  it  applies  to  her  own  work,  compare  one  arti¬ 
cle  with  another  and  iook  for  the  best  plans  and  rules  everywhere. 

Bibliography. 

Consult  indexes  of  Library  journal  and  Public  libraries.  See 
also  a  reading  list  in  library  science  compiled  by  Pratt  Institute 
(1902),  of  which  each  branch  has  a  copy.  A  reading  list  on 
children  in  libraries  and  allied  subjects  is  published  b>  Spring- 
field,  Mass.,  City  library.  Annotated  syllabus  by  J.  D.  Brown  is 
also  useful.  Proceedings  of  library  congresses  and  conferences. 
Any  of  these  not  in  the  branches  can  be  obtained  from  the  Train¬ 
ing  Class  collection  on  application. 

Text=books  on  technical  methods. 

A.  L.  A.  List  of  subject  headings,  preface  and  appendix. 

A.  L.  A.  Rules  for  author  and  title  catalogue. 

Ames.  Subject  headings  for  children’s  books. 

Cutter.  Rules  for  a  dictionary  catalogue. 

Used  for  alphabetic  arrangement. 


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Cutter. 

Dewey. 

Dewey. 


Kroeger. 


Alfabetic  order  tables  revised  by  Sanborn. 

Decimal  classification :  Preface. 

Simplified  library  school  rules:  Cataloguing,  accession, 
shelf  list. 

Used  as  standard  in  branch  libraries. 

Guide  to  reference  books. 


Miscellaneous. 

A.  L.  A.  Handbook:  latest  edition. 

A.  L.  A.  Library  tracts  : 

1.  Why  do  we  need  a  public  library? 

2.  How  to  start  a  library. 

3.  Traveling  libraries. 

4.  Library  rooms  and  buildings. 

5.  Notes  from  the  art  section  of  a  library. 

6.  Essentials  in  library  administration. 

7.  Cataloguing  for  small  libraries. 

8.  A  village  library. 

Brown.  Manual  of  classification. 

Brown.  Manual  of  library  economy. 

Dana.  Library  primer. 

Dewey.  On  libraries.  (Reprint:  New  international  cyclopaedia.) 
Dewey.  Papers  prepared  for  World’s  library  congress,  1893. 
Edwards.  Memoirs  of  libraries. 

Fletcher.  Public  libraries  in  America. 

Plummer.  Hints  to  small  libraries. 

Richardson.  Classification. 

Roebuck  and  Thorne.  Primer  of  library  practice.  (English 

viewpoint.) 

Articles  in  library  and  other  periodicals  on  following 
subjects: 

Accession  department  and  book. 

Annotations. 

Book  binding. 

Book  selection. 

Bulletins. 

Children  in  libraries. 

Fiction  in  libraries. 

Librarians :  Qualifications. 


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19 


Libraries :  Various  sub-headings. 

Libraries  and  schools. 

Open  shelves. 

Reference  work. 

Statistics. 

Women  in  libraries. 

Besides  files  of  Library  journal  and  Public  libraries,  the 
English  library  periodicals  and  association  proceedings  which 
contain  many  useful  and  interesting  articles  may  be  found  at  the 
Astor  Branch. 

LANGUAGES. 

FOR  CLASSES  C  AND  B. 

Although  knowledge  of  foreign  language  is  not  required  be¬ 
fore  class  C,  a  speaking  knowledge  of  German  is  very  desirable. 
The  examinations  in  this  subject  for  promotion  to  these  classes 
test  only  the  practical  knowledge  of  the  language  as  it  would  be 
used  in  the  libraries.  Thus  no  questions  on  grammatical  construc¬ 
tion  are  asked  but  the  tests  include : 

i  Translation  of  an  ordinary  catalogue  entry  of  a  book;  that 
is,  author,  title,  imprint,  etc. 

2.  Translation  of  a  passage  on  a  general  subject  from  the  for¬ 
eign  language  to  English. 

3.  Putting  sentences  from  the  English  into  the  foreign  lan¬ 
guages.  Sight  translation  is  expected,  but  in  case  of  unusual 
words  the  meaning  is  given. 

One  year’s  study  of  a  language  is  sufficient  preparation  for 
class  C ;  for  B  the  titles  and  passages  for  translation  are  more 
difficult  and  require  a  larger  vocabulary.  Special  attention  should 
be  paid  to  the  technical  vocabulary  used  in  the  catalogues  and 
bibliographies  of  the  foreign  book  trade.  Practice  in  reading  the 
library  periodicals  of  foreign  countries  is  excellent. 


